A group of concerned Nigerians, in a statement dated June 8 in Abuja, said Nigeria’s survival is being threatened by what they described as the erosion of constitutional checks and balances, executive overreach, and the collapse of institutional independence.
The statement, signed by Dr. Husseini Abdu, Amb. Fatima Balla, Dr. Usman Bugaje, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, Dr. Yahaya Hashim, Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim, Prof. Attahiru Muhammadu Jega, Prof. Mohammed Kuna, Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud and Mal Kabiru Yusuf. said the legislature has come under near-total executive control, while the judiciary has lost both independence and integrity, leaving the executive without meaningful accountability.
According to the group, the resulting public distrust has deepened political exclusion and impunity, and is helping to drive violent extremism, organized crime and communal conflict.
The signatories also linked Nigeria’s security challenges to wider instability in the Sahel, citing terrorism, arms trafficking, unconstitutional changes of government and porous borders in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger as factors worsening insecurity in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin.
Recommendations
The statement urged the federal government to recognize the security link between the Sahel and Nigeria, appoint a high-level Special Envoy for the Sahel, and work toward rebuilding trust between Nigeria, the Alliance of Sahel States and ECOWAS.
It also called on civil society, the private sector, traditional rulers and the clergy to defend civic space, demand accountability and promote peaceful coexistence.
On the 2027 general elections, the group said professional bodies, including the Nigerian Bar Association and other civic groups, should engage INEC to ensure a free, fair and credible poll, while the judiciary and the National Judicial Council should strengthen accountability in electoral disputes.
